8 of the most ludicrously expensive cameras and lenses of all time

In case you feel like treating yourself, here is some of the most extravagantly costly camera kit ever produced

1. Samsung’s £2000 gold-plated NX300

This piece of extravagance is available in Saudi Arabia – a version of Samsung’s NX300 with a top plate made from pure gold. The tasteful little number is priced at SAR 15,000 – equivalent to around £2000.

2. Canon’s £12,000 telephoto lens

The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x caused quite the ruckus when it was announced last year. A professional grade 200-400mm f/4 lens, with a 1.4x extender that can boost that to 280-560mm, sporting Fast USM autofocus and IS that can give you up to four extra stops of shutter speed, it is, as you’d hope, ridiculously sharp. Yours for a snip at £11,999.

3. Nikon’s £14,000 telephoto lens

Not to be outdone, Nikon offers an 800mm f/5.6 prime lens. The AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR will let you ‘conquer distance like never before’ , with an included AF-S Teleconverter TC800-1.25E ED that can increase the focal length to a whopping 1000mm. The Silent Wave Motor provides ultra-fast and quiet AF. A positive steal at £13,999.

4. Olympus’s £16,000 Pen E-P5s (with scooter)

A kit released in conjunction with Harrods in August 2013, this limited edition version of the Olympus Pen E-P5 actually came with two camera bodies – one standard and one decorated by artist Suzko, as well as all of Olympus’s fast prime lenses in the Micro Four Thirds system. It also came with a customised Vespa scooter. Had you lined up at Harrods on August 8th, the whole lot would have been yours for £16,000.

5. Hasselblad’s £30,000 H4D 200MS

Capable of producing files with 200MP of resolution thanks to a shifting 50MP sensor that produces six separate images, the Hasselblad H4D 200MS was released back in 2011 to the tune of £30,354. It’s not that easy to track down these days, though Dale Photographic says that if you pick one up there then you’ll get a free copy of Lightroom 4 bundled in with it. You know, to save money.

6. Phase One’s $40,000 P65+ Digital Back

The P65+ is the last word in medium format, a digital back offering 60MP of quality on a full-frame 645 sensor. If you were so inclined, you would probably be able to find one for around $40,000 (almost £25,000).

7. Leica’s $50,000 M9-P ‘Edition Hermès’

Leica dropped this little bombshell last year. A special ‘Serie Limitee Jean-Louis Dumas’ (named for the former president of Hermes) version of its M9-P in Veau Swift burnt tan calfskin leather with a silver chrome finish. This extra-deluxe version comes with three Leica lenses, a limited edition book and a hand-crafted Hermes camera bag. As well you’d hope. Produced in a very limited run of just 100 units, this deluxe camera cost $50,000 (about £31,000) on release.

8. Canon’s $120,000 ‘mother of all telephotos’

They aren’t kidding. Fewer than twenty of these whoppers have been made since 1993 – 1200mm telephoto lenses with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 and a minimum of f/32 and an angle of view of about 2º on 35mm. BH Photo Video were offering one for $120,000, though it appears someone has snapped it up. Best be quicker next time.

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